We should reframe the old adage “It takes a village to raise a child.” A more urgent summons is needed during a time when the 2019 UN Climate Change Summit failed to deliver and scientific predictions of how fast we are approaching a point of no return are growing more dire by the day.

How about: “It takes alliances to save a planet.”

There are those who deny the dangers (or the very existence) of the climate emergency, those who ignore it and those who are giving in to helpless passivity in the face of it.

Then there are those who are determined to raise awareness about the crisis, change, at a minimum, our behavior, or, more urgently, our whole system of relating to nature and each other. They are forging alliances across a whole spectrum of organizations and participants, setting aside differences in ideology and strategic approaches, and join forces to rescue this planet in whatever fashion is still possible. By necessity.

The documentary film project Necessity is in the process of following and interviewing several of the diverse groups and activists participating nationally in the fight for climate justice. (I am involved with the production photography of the series.)

This week we attended the Strike for Climate Justice! in San Francisco, called for by the Climate Justice SF Coalition, and organized by 350.org and Extinction Rebellion SF Bay. The attached website informs about the various alliances for the event; a look at the endorsements tells its own story of bridge building.

Endorsed by: 350.org, 350 Silicon Valley, Amazon Watch, Brasil Solidarity Network, Center for Biological Diversity, Code Pink, Democratic Socialists of America (San Francisco Chapter),​ Friends of the Earth, Global Exchange, Interfaith Climate Action Network, No Coal in Oakland, Rainforest Action Network, Sunflower Alliance, Sunrise Movement Bay Area and Sunrise Project.

The diversity of participants, apparent on paper, became so much more impressive when seen in action, people supporting each other during an event that was stunning in its dimensions. Here is a visual sampling, just to give you a sense of the range in age, politics, and approaches. Organizations and individuals alike were fully immersed in the proceedings, sharing a common goal.

Strongly represented were those protesting the Brazilian crimes against the rainforest.

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Before the strike on Wednesday, activists stopped traffic for 3-5 minutes on several intersections in the financial district on Monday. They handed out leaflets informing the public about the planned actions. Drivers’ reactions ranged from smiles and thumbs up to frustrated honking and aggressive approaches to break the line closing the road. This kind of civil disobedience was tolerated by the police who were visibly present but did not engage.

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Wednesday’s acts of peaceful civil disobedience directed against multinational banks who play a role in earth’s destruction, on the other hand, led to immediate arrests and/or citations. We cannot have people hindering Wells Fargo employees from entering their building after lunch by blocking the doorways….or have banners unrolled from the rooftops informing about the issues, can we? Paddy wagons were at the ready for the seven arrested, as were legal observers from the National Lawyers Guild to assist those who were in need. I will write about new approaches in defending acts of civil disobedience around climate justice with a necessity defense in more detail at a later point.

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I cannot begin to imagine the amount of planning, preparation, organizing, sheer work and herding cats that must have gone into the choreography of what unfolded on the streets in the heart of the financial district on Market and Montgomery St. They all did a remarkable job, with veteran art organizer David Solnit being instrumental.

A lot of different art forms were utilized. They ranged from painting murals on the street – with tools, templates and colors all provided,

to clowns,

to music,

to dance,

to fun and games,

to an amazing silent mime group, The Red Rebel Brigade, who were stunning in their synchronized movement, emotive power – and tolerance of heat in those costumes on a late September day approaching temperatures in the 90s.

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The theatrics were matched by the passion of many of the individual signs carried in one fashion or another by individuals.

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The festive atmosphere of a block party on steroids helped instill a sense of solidarity and community. It raised the hope that there will be enough momentum to wake up the numbers of people needed to create the mass movement necessary to hit the brakes on our ruination of the planet. Organizing it must have been hard. The harder work lies still in front of us. A necessity, if we want to preserve a future for our children and grandchildren. Knowing we are doing it for them, and are not alone in this struggle, will ease the way.